National World War II Museum – New Orleans
We were not prepared for the emotional roller coaster ride that we found watching the 4D movie Beyond all Boundaries in the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
As baby boomers, we sat in our high school history classes learning about World War II, but nothing in our experience had brought this momentous time in our nation’s history to our senses as did this presentation.
Sitting in this massive 4D theater, with our seats literally vibrating as German tanks go by on the screen and our sense of smell awakened as smoke filled the room as bombs dropped on Japan, we were kept riveted to the presentation as Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, and Toby Maquire narrated the story.
I suppose one might ask why the National World War II Museum is in New Orleans, Louisiana? Well, the museum was founded by New Orleans historian Stephen E. Ambrose.
His 2001 HBO mini-series Band of Brothers brought national attention to his work and in 2003 the museum was designated by Congress as the America’s National WWII Museum.
We highly recommend, actually, we nearly insist that you visit the National World War II museum when you make a visit to the city of New Orleans.
It will entertain, inform, and perhaps most of all, move you as this important story of our nation’s history unfolds before your very eyes.
Tip: bring a tissue with you. You’re going to need it to wipe the tears from your eyes.
Link: National World War II Museum
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Thanks guys for a rave review! We are so glad that you had a great visit and we hope you can come see us again soon as we continue to expand.
One thing to add to this, there’s even more to the story of why the Museum is here in New Orleans. New Orleans is also the birthplace of the LCVP, or Higgins boat, the landing craft that brought US soldiers to shore in every major amphibious assault of World War II.
Andrew Jackson Higgins and the 30,000 Louisiana workers of Higgins Industries designed, built and tested 20,000 Higgins boats in southeastern Louisiana during the war. During one of his interviews with Stephen Ambrose, Dwight Eisenhower once claimed that Higgins was “the man who won the war for us.” Pretty high praise!
Wow! Thanks for sharing.
I heartly concur. My wife and I were visitors last fall about this time, and the presentation is truly moving.